​On April 6, the Ralph C. Darrow Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America at Kent State University (PRSSA Kent) celebrated #BetsyDay in a way that truly represents what it means to be a female leader in the public relations field.

Once being challenged to participate in #BetsyDay we decided the best way would be to highlight female leaders. We watched the Plank Center’s documentary about Ms. Plank with our Executive Board and our members, along with reading all about the great accomplishments of Ms. Plank’s career. One thing that caught our attention was how impactful of a leader Betsy Plank was and how she never gave up on giving back to her community.

PRSSA Kent decided to walk in her footsteps by hosting a donation drive for the ACCESS Akron women’s shelter. Donations were collected during our tabling event on April 6. There, students were encouraged to write on Betsy Plank themed slips of paper what Leadership means to them and post them onto our message board.All donations could be redeemed for a free cupcake. By the end of April 10, PRSSA Kent collected more than 50 items for ACCESS, including: cleaning supplies, wash cloths and bath towels, rugs, bed sheets and many other necessities the shelter wished for.Three PRSSA Kent members also attended Our Lady of the Elms high school, an all-girls Catholic school, to give a presentation about Betsy Plank, and what it means to be a female leader. Those students left stronger knowledge of leadership, as well as a healthy granola bar.As part of our social media engagement, PRSSA Kent honored Kent State Journalism and Mass Communication’s (JMC) female staff and faculty by posting graphics about who they are and our appreciation for their work throughout JMC.For questions about the PRSSA Kent Betsy Day, contact Nicole Zahn, Chapter Vice President of Community Outreach, at nzahn@kent.edu​